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Having already reviewed the B&B Oak Lump Charcoal, the B&B XL Premium Lump Charcoal and the B&B Competition
Char-Logs, we thought it only fitting to finish the job and review their Hickory Lump Charcoal, and in an
upcoming review, their Mesquite Lump Charcoal.
B&B Charcoal is a family-owned business located in Weimar, Texas. For those of you who aren't familiar with
Weimar, we provide a map at right. They produce a number of types of charcoal, each made from a single species
of wood so you get predictable smoke flavor and performance. This particular charcoal is made from hickory.
Or is it? The bag we purchased says "100% Natural Lump Charcoal With Hickory–Premium Hardwoods Blend" on it.
We thought that was a mighty curious way of saying that the lump charcoal is made from all hickory.
So we visited the B&B website to see if they had any more information about this charcoal. The description on
the web page for their hickory lump charcoal says "100% natural hickory premium hardwood". However, you will find
photos of two different bags shown on this web page.
The first bag is marked "100% Natural Hickory Lump Charcoal":
The second bag is marked "100% Natural Lump Charcoal With Hickory Premium Hardwoods Blend":
So which is it, 100% hickory or a hardwoods blend? We wrote to B&B for an answer and this is what we found
out:
"B&B expects a min[imum] of 30% to 40% of the Primary Species on the bag (Hickory/Oak/Mesquite) is mixed in with a
blend of random hardwoods. It’s a 35%/65% blend in each bag. The other 65% is primarily Ebony, Mesquite, and Oak."
Ebony? Really? In Texas? Well, yes. There is a tree called Texas Ebony (Pithecellobium flexicaule) that grows in a region
from Laredo to Corpus Christi and south into Mexico. The map at right depicts its range.
So now that we know what's in the bag, let's get on with the review.
As usual, the first thing we do is to dump the bag of charcoal out on the ground so that we can sort it into
different sizes and examine the contents in detail. We found nothing in the bag that shouldn't have been there.
It was all just charcoal. As
far as the size distribution goes, it was pretty good with over half the bag being medium to large sized pieces.
The 5.6% by weight of dust and chips was Low ( ) compared to other brands.
The following table shows you the distribution of sizes:
| Large |
4.3 pounds |
20.7% |
| Medium |
8.3 pounds |
40.1% |
| Small |
6.9 pounds |
33.6% |
| Chips/Dust |
1.2 pounds |
5.6% |
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| Total |
20.7 pounds |
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So, time to burn some charcoal! In our chimney starter test, it took 4½ sheets of newspaper to establish a
fire in a Weber chimney starter. This is Low () compared to other brands.
The smell of the burning charcoal was your typical American hardwoods charcoal smoke and was moderately strong. While
burning in the chimney starter there was very little sparking or popping.
In our maximum temperature test, B&B hickory charcoal hit a peak of 1058°F which is
Very High ( ) compared to other brands. While building up
to that temperature there was little sparking and popping, however, it did increase as the fire got
going. As as far as getting going goes, the fire spread moderately slowly.
So far this charcoal had been doing quite well in our testing but then it stumbled a bit
in our burn time test. B&B hickory charcoal burned only an Average ( )
length of time compared to other brands. This actually came as no surprise since the charcoal itself is rather
dense, and dense charcoal typically doesn't burn as long as lighter charcoal that has been cooked to a higher temperature.
Lighting with a MAP/Pro torch was relatively uneventful with only a
small amount of sparking and popping. However, always exercise caution when using a torch of any type to light
lump charcoal.
And finally, this charcoal also stumbled a bit when it comes to ash production. B&B hickory charcoal produced
an Avearge () amount of ash compared to other brands.
B&B Hickory Lump Charcoal has a reasonably good distribution of sizes, is relatively easy to light and burns very hot.
However, when it comes to burn time and ash production, it's performance is decidedly mediocre. We give B&B Hickory charcoal
our Above Average rating.
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To the left is the rating that our readers have given this charcoal. If you have used this charcoal and would like to rate it and leave your comments, Click Here
To view reader ratings of all brands, Click Here.
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